Thunder
by We Thought It'd Be Funny
Summary: Everybody has something that they're afraid of. That's simply a fact of life. But, when we overcome these fears, it makes for a remarkable tale. Especially when we have help.


Here you go. I was writing a chapter for Out Cold when this sort of came to me. I hope you enjoy it.

NOTE: I am not a parent, so please, do not use this method. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't work.

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 4.

Sincerely,

-Funny.

* * *

Souji Seta sighed as he stretched and crawled out from under the covers of his futon. He shuddered as a sudden chill crawled along his body, settled only by the thought of climbing under the covers once more.

So why, you might ask, was he getting up?

Simple: nature's call cannot go unanswered.

With a soft shiver, he proceeded to the door to his room, seeking to conduct his business as quickly as possible.

He was halfway to the door when a violent, sudden flash lit the room up, throwing everything in it into a bright light for a mere fraction of a second. Immediately, he paused, instinctually counting the seconds. One, two, three, four…

Ten seconds later, he heard a soft rumble in the distance. _Ten miles_, he thought. But was it approaching, or retreating? He decided to walk over to the window and wait for another, promising to return to his mission once his curiosity was satisfied. He just had to know.

Whatever the case was, he didn't have to wait long for another flash. This one he saw; a great, jagged blast of electricity streaking down to the earth in a flash of purplish light. Again, he started to count.

One, two, three.

There was another sound, louder this time, like a great crack, somehow muted. He shuddered, and decided to go quickly. If he got caught in the dead of the storm, he'd never get back to sleep.

* * *

Souji sighed as he began to wash his hands, roughly scrubbing his knuckles with the fragrant soap next to the sink. He was satisfied with the simple task of cleaning his hands for some time, until he shut off the faucets, and wiped his hands dry. He began to feel his eyelids droop as he switched off the lights, and ambled on to his room at the sluggish pace of, well, a slug.

He opened the door without a sound, and gently crept towards the futon, sliding under the thick covers, and nestling into their warmth.

He was halfway to sleep when a series of rapid, flashing lights blared on past his closed eyes.

He shot up in the futon, and then he heard it.

A strong, earth-shattering roar, that shook everything in the house, from the floors to the windows.

Souji grit his teeth and leaned against the wall, his heart pounding against his chest and adrenaline coursing through his bloodstream.

He wasn't afraid of thunder and lightning, not by a long shot. But recent experiences in the TV world had made him a touch wary of the natural phenomenon.

You would be too, if you'd been hit by a bolt of lightning.

"No sleep for me tonight…" he sighed out as he began to rise from his futon again. It looked like Souji was in for a sleepless night of reading and studying. He flicked on the light switch, and settled into the soft material of the couch, picking up Off Today again. The Timid Teacher series is always good for a few laughs.

And a long night would need them.

He had barely progressed past the first chapter when another great bolt rent his attention from the book. Once again the house shook, producing creaking noises which played a sinister symphony with the howling wind.

Not ten seconds later, he heard a soft knock at his door. The door's knob twisted, and opened, revealing Nanako Dojima.

Souji raised a silver eyebrow as Nanako shuffled into the room awkwardly.

"What's wrong, Nanako?" but deep down, he had a pretty good idea of what was the matter. He set the book down on the coffee table, and got up, moving towards his "little sis".

"I can't sleep." she mumbled, staring down at her feet.

Souji nodded.

"Is it the lightning?"

"…Yeah." she mumbled, raising her eyes to meet Souji's.

He nodded again.

"There's nothing to be afraid of, Nanako." Souji said, placing a hand on Nanako's shoulder. "I've been through hundreds of storms like this, and there is nothing to worry about."

If anything, that seemed to make the girl more miserable. "I know… But…"

Souji sighed. He knew that it was only reasonable to be afraid. He himself was afraid of storms when he was a boy. Of course, he got over his fear on a particularly bad night, and his father had…

Souji's eyes flared with life as an idea began to swim around around in his head.

"Hey, Nanako. Your father isn't home, right?"

"No. He said he had a lot of work to do."

The shine in Souji's eyes grew brighter.

"Then I think I know what we can do about this little fear of yours."

* * *

_Souji Seta, seven years old, sat there, quivering under the covers, eyes screwed shut. He shook and held back a sob as another blast of sound shook the house to its very core. And that wasn't the end of it. Blast after blast rained down in a terrifying crescendo. When it became too much for the young boy, he screamed. Not even four seconds later, he heard his door fly open, and felt a hand on his back._

_"Hey, hey. You okay?"_

_Souji trembled again, tightening his grip on the sheets._

_"Hey, c'mon. It's alright."_

_He felt the hand gently draw back the covers, and he reluctantly complied. He stared back at the person and saw his father. His silver hair was mussed up and sticking out in every direction, and his forest green eyes were laced with concern. He brought his hand to Souji's face and wiped a tear from his cheek._

_"Hey, why are you crying? C'mon, there's nothing to worry about." He pulled his son into a tight hug, trying to calm him._

_"Shhhhh… Shhhhh…"_

_Just then, another roar shook the house. Souji trembled, but his father just chuckled._

_"Hey, kiddo. There's nothing to be scared of. Don't worry."_

_Another bolt, another shake._

_Another tremble._

_He heard his father sigh and almost heard the cogs turning in his head._

_"Hey, kiddo. Wanna see something cool?"_

_Souji pulled away from his father and stared at him, an eyebrow raised. His father had a huge smile plastered on his face._

_"Trust me, okay?"_

_Souji stared at his father for a while._

_"…Okay."_

* * *

Souji still had that grin his father wore all those years ago plastered across his face as he rummaged through the cabinets. looking for the same tools his father used. Nanako was sitting on the living room couch, slowly drinking hot cocoa, and flinching whenever lightning decided to strike.

Souji continued his search for a few minutes, and then he felt his fingers curl around the needed implements. With a triumphant huff, he yanked his arms back. Freeing a ladle and a cookie sheet from the jumbled up clutter of the cabinets. He held them ready in his hands, and stared at the glass door to the porch. Nanako stared at him in confusion.

"Big Bro, what are those for?"

Souji grinned. "You'll see."

* * *

_His father stood in front of him, and waited in front of the window, watching. The ladle was held like a sword in his right hand, and in his left was the cookie sheet. Souji would've asked, but his father just said he should trust him._

_So he waited with his father, not sure of what he was doing._

_Suddenly, another flash lit up the room, and his father seemed to spring to life._

_He raised the ladle and brought it down on the cookie sheet._

* * *

BANG.

The sound made Nanako jump. Souji smiled and brought the ladle and cookie sheet together. It sounded just like the thunder outside.

BANG! BANG!

He hit them together repeatedly and expertly, navigating the room as he went. Eventually, Nanako started to smile, then laugh as her cousin pranced about the room in a comically silly jig, he continued this for a half hour, beating a loud, fierce rhythm into the cookie sheet, dancing in a bizarre flailing of limbs. All the while screaming:

"I DO CARE DEEPLY FOR POTATOES!"

Nanako was clutching her stomach now, as true laughter rang over the furious sound of "thunder".

Souji smiled.

_"See kid? Now you're laughing, not crying!"_

He smiled and after carrying on a bit longer, stopped. He moved over to the cabinets and put the cooking items away.

As he wrestled the cookie sheet back into its storage space, a bright white flash illuminated.

He turned around and saw Nanako, who had moved into a fresh wave of giggles.

"I've created a second Yukiko." he chuckled, as he shooed his cousin back to her room. She went reluctantly, her giggles dying, with the occasional yawn creeping its way in between the laughter.

Eventually, she crawled back under her covers, and let out a rather large and loud yawn.

"Night, Big Bro."

Souji smiled, and flicked off the lights.

"Goodnight… Sis."

Without so much as a creak, he shut the door.

He stretched, and went in his own room, creeping into the warmth of the futon again. He shuffled to get comfortable, and finally settled on his right side. He yawned, and began to settle into a nice, comfortable, slumber…

BOOM!

Souji swore under his breath as his eyes snapped open.

He grumbled and buried his face in his pillows again.

It was going to be a long night.

But, hey, at least it wasn't unproductive.

He sighed, and tried to remember where he put Off Today.

* * *

Did you like it?

Please review!

Sincerely,

-Funny.


End file.
